Extreme weather and droughts have historically brought the Borena and Gabra pastoral tribes into conflict over pasture land, water, and natural resources. The Oromia Pastoralist Association (OPA) was created to facilitate the cross-border mobility of pastoralist tribes between Southern Ethiopia and Northern Kenya and is helping to address land disputes, resource conflicts, and the barriers these vulnerable groups face to coping with climate change. The association pursues peaceful coexistence and now has a track record of three consecutive years without a single community conflict. Cross-border community dialogue and the co-creation of conflict resolution strategies, including ‘reciprocal resource use agreements’, are helping to reduce overgrazing and soil erosion, improve market access for pastoralist products, and build resilience to climate-related stresses. The model has the potential to be transferred to neighboring regions where resource and water scarcity are growing challenges, and has already been replicated in Somalia.